I was 6 months pregnant on my birthday this year, so undertaking a birthday challenge to raise money for a good cause wasn't really the best idea. Upon thinking about it more, I came to the conclusion that no dreamt-up challenge would be a greater way to test myself than childbirth. And since our friends are spread across the globe, a baby shower was never really an option, so this got me thinking about how I could incorporate raising money for a good cause with welcoming our little lady into the world.

Well, our little girl will be arriving any day now and while I'm nervous about labor (make that very nervous!), I'm anxious to join all the other mothers that have given birth and proven that women really are so incredibly strong and brave... and my 2012 challenge was born! For this year's challenge, I thought I'd spice it up by proposing a challenge with 2 options: a simple donation or a pledge. The pledge could be 0.10, $1, $5, or whatever you choose, for each number of hours I'm in labor. And since we all know labor is painful, you can rest assured that I won't be prolonging labor to raise more money!

Since Danny and I are marine biologists, water is a resource very dear to us. We met in 2005 while working on the coral reefs of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and have worked with communities that haven't always had access to safe water. Did you know that EVERY 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease and diarrhea remains the second leading cause of death of children under the age of five? The problem is enormous but we can make a difference. Kids can be healthy and stay in school with safe water.

We all have access to clean, safe water but so many children and families do not. Please consider making a donation to Water.org and help get someone safe water for life. Co-founded by Matt Damon, Water.org has been helping people get sustainable solutions for over twenty years.

We can make a difference in the world, we can help change someone's life. And in the meantime, your support will help me get through childbirth and hopefully start off our little girl's life with some great karma :)